By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Frontline Igbo rights group, Anya Ndi Igbo Lagos, has expressed worry over recent happenings in Lagos State against Igbo people, saying that Ndigbo have been singled out and targeted for verbal abuses, physical attacks intimidation, virulent propaganda and deliberate misrepresentation to Lagosians as being everything evil.

Anya Ndigbo Lagos said that the attacks became alarming since the political activities leading up to the elections came to a crescendo, with Igbos now being referred to as non-indigenes.

The group in a statement jointly signed by Anya Ndi Igbo Chairman, Board of Trustees, Elder (Dr.) Uma Eleazu; a former Deputy President-General of Ndigbo Lagos, Emeka Ugwu-Oju; Unite Nigeria Group President, Engr. Onyebuchi Ben Akah; and President of Abia State Town Unions Association, ASTUA, Lagos State, Chief Ikenga Ejituru, among others, regretted that the governments at the local, state and federal levels have chosen to do nothing about the issue.

The statement partly reads: “Our kit-and-kin have been singled out and targeted for verbal abuses, intimidation, and virulent propaganda, deliberate misrepresentation to Lagosians as everything EVIL, ferocious violent attacks, and deliberate destruction of means of livelihood, arson and murder.

“The social and frontline media are awash with stories of attacks on the Igbo and also with gory pictures and video clips of incidents.

“The governments at all levels, federal, state and local, have been made fully aware. They have chosen to do nothing. We have not found any protection from the state or any of its agencies. They have rather looked the other way whilst these atrocities happened and, to our mind, with acquiescence or silent approval.

“Some of our Royal fathers at the grassroots level, the Baales, have been recorded to have invited Igbo people domiciled in their communities to meetings and threatened them with the destruction of their lives and their means of livelihood should they fail to vote for the APC.

“Thugs have boldly used video clips circulated on social media handles to issue death threats to Igbos if they dare vote for any party that is not the APC.

“Igbos are commanded to vote for the APC, take pictures of their ballots as they cast them, and preserve those pictures as evidence that they voted for the APC as a condition that will guarantee their continued peaceful existence in the communities in the post-election period. These threats have gone viral on social media, the culprits’ faces are shown on video clips and the government keeps mum.

“A few markets built and operated by traders of Igbo descent have been set on fire in Lagos, the latest being the Motor Spare Parts Market in the slums of Ajegunle where, at least, one person was murdered. A similar event took place in the Isolo/Ikotun area of Lagos where the selective destruction of shops and merchandise owned by Igbo traders was said to have been supervised by the much respected Royal Father of the community, the Baale. These, two incidents are in the public domain and we have heard of no action from the State and local governments.”

The group alleged that all the steps were being taken by the Lagos State APC to suppress the votes of any competing party in the elections, adding that they erroneously believe it is the Igbos that would not vote for the APC.

The statement which was made available to News Express added: “We do not want to convince them otherwise but we will like to state one fact. His Excellency, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, of blessed memory, said and we quote: ‘any party that has been in government for one term of four years does not need to campaign for votes. It is the visible work it has done for the people that should constitute its campaign’.”

“Why then would a party that has been in government and in power for 24 years rely solely on intimidation, thuggery, murder and all sorts of criminality to win an election and single out the Igbo for victimization?

“We wish to state for the umpteenth time: The Igbo ethnic group is not a political party. It is not contesting this election. It has never contested any election in the past. It will never contest any election in the future. The Igbo, as a distinct ethnic group, has no preferred candidate in the governorship election in Lagos state. Igbo people are members of numerous political parties, including the APC on their individual choices and are supporting their party’s candidates.

“No Igbo man is contesting the election for the office of governor. We have no dog in this fight. We should not be made the victim. The Igbos and Yorubas have lived happily together in love and mutual understanding and respect,” Anya Ndi Igbo said.

The group called on politicians of the Lagos State APC to desist from pitching Yorubas against Igbos with vicious falsehoods dished out from their propaganda machinery, just so that the APC can win the gubernatorial election.

“We reject in totality, the attempt of the APC in Lagos state to deny the Igbo these rights.

“We consider all that has happened in the past few weeks and are likely to happen going forward, a blatant violation of the constitutional rights of Igbo people living in Lagos – their rights to life, their rights to lawful association, their right to vote, their right to self-identity, their rights to engage in lawful economic activities and their rights to hold opinions and express them,” Anya Ndigbo Lagos stated.

It enjoined all Igbos living in Lagos State who are registered to vote there not to be intimidated by the threats of violence against them as watertight arrangements have been concluded at very high levels to secure voters during and after the elections.

They group also reminded the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, that the Igbos living in Lagoswere his subjects, hence, he has a duty as the Chief Security Officer of the state to provide security for their lives and their livelihood, even as it urged him to step up to this responsibility.